The subject matter disclosed herein relates to X-ray imaging systems, and more specifically, to X-ray imaging systems utilizing a digital X-ray detector having pixels with multiple charge-storage devices.
Digital X-ray imaging systems are becoming increasingly widespread for producing digital data which can be reconstructed into useful radiographic images. In current digital X-ray imaging systems, radiation from a source is directed toward a subject, typically a patient in a medical diagnostic application. A portion of the radiation passes through the patient and impacts a detector. The scintillator of the detector converts the radiation to light photons that are sensed. The detector is divided into a matrix of discrete picture elements or pixels, and encodes output signals based upon the quantity or intensity of the radiation impacting each pixel region, as measured by a receptor. The signals may then be processed to generate an image that may be displayed for review.
It may be desirable in digital X-ray imaging systems, e.g., utilizing certain types of detectors such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) detectors, to reduce electronic noise associated with low dose X-ray imaging applications. However, the ability to reduce electronic noise at low dose X-ray imaging applications may be limited by the structure of the pixel. Therefore, it may be desired to improve upon the pixel structure of the detectors to reduce electronic noise.